Open-World Crime Game Samson Did Better On Console But Not Enough To Save Its Developer From Shutting Down

Liquid Swords, the Swedish developer behind the crime game Samson, is closing up shop. Founder Christofer Sundberg confirmed this after bankruptcy reports emerged, stating directly, "Liquid Swords is closing."

Samson launched on PC in April, but the console edition for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S that released in September "did far better," Sundberg said. However, he admitted that, "It wasn't enough to save the studio."

At the same time, Samson might have a future after Liquid Swords closes up shop, the executive said.

"I’m proud of our team and what we built. We’re discussing continued support for Samson. We make mistakes, we learn, we rise, we move on. I never give up. More soon," he wrote.

According to a report, all 27 employees at Liquid Swords are being let go as part of the bankruptcy process. Workers reported not getting paid for two months, but those salaries will be covered by local laws in Sweden.

Liquid Swords described itself as a "zero-nonsense" game studio. Sundberg said, "Game development has become so full of distractions that affect quality and motivation." He said his ambition was to "change that" with Liquid Swords through eliminating crunch and "useless" meetings, and not taking on an "unnecessary stakeholders."

In the end, this plan did not work out, and Samson will be Liquid Swords' one and only release.

Sundberg co-founded Just Cause studio Avalanche and spent more than a decade there before leaving to start Liquid Swords. Sundberg is known for his hot takes on the gaming industry, including a very bleak outlook on the state of gaming today.